PUP third Senate seat in doubt as ballot papers checked to see if mistakenly counted as 'informal'

Clive Palmer says he does not fancy his chances of winning the third Senate seat as a recount continues.

AAP: Dan Peled

The chances of Clive Palmer's PUP Party winning a third Senate seat have been thrown into doubt.

The Australian Electoral Commission says it is rechecking hundreds of ballot papers for the West Australian Senate which were counted as informal but may not be.

PUP candidate Zhenya Dio Wang appeared to have won the seat through preference flows after only 14 votes separated two minor parties at a crucial point in the counting.

The Electoral Commission initially decided against a recount but changed its decision after an appeal by the Greens Senator Scott Ludlam.

The Australian Electoral Commission's Phil Diak says more than 500 votes have been referred to Central Senate Scrutiny.

"This is just part of a re-count where you do look again at all the informal votes," he said.

"It's just that with the below the line votes, we know that there were 62 boxes below the line in Western Australia, it's more complex.

"We have a computerised process that helps us check whether the vote is formal or not."

Vote count 'disgraceful' alleges Clive Palmer

Mr Palmer has accused the AEC of being biased, and says the vote count has been disgraceful.

"This just shows that it's a rigged election really, too many booths where the total votes cast changed," he said.

"You'd understand where votes may change from one party to the other or from informal, but you don't understand how the total amount cast, how more votes could be cast in the re-count that there was in the election."

Mr Palmer says he does not like his chances of winning the seat.

"Oh zero I'd say while people are rigging elections," he said.

"I'm disappointed for all Australians that we haven't got a legitimate system to vote to exercise their democracy.

"This is like nearly two months after the election has gone they're still counting my votes for a third time because it's just unpalatable to them to have me elected.

"It shouldn't take two months to count the votes anywhere.

"Why do you count them three times? I mean if someone else wins the election on the third time and I won the first two does that make them any more legitimate? I don't think so.

"If all the counts represent different numbers it's a testimony the whole thing's rigged."

Mr Palmer says even if he does not win the seat, he still believes he will be a force in the Upper House as he will have a voting block of three after forming an alliance with Ricky Muir from the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party.

"Well, we've got a voting block of three with the Motorists, we're all working together, we're all a team and certainly if the Prime Minister wants to get anything past, he'll have to get all the team supporting it," he said.